NH Primary Source: A study in contrasts as NH Senate, House convene in much different settings
Updated: 3:46 AM EST Jan 7, 2021
House passes resolution condemning violence in Washington
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Updated: 3:46 AM EST Jan 7, 2021
New Hampshire Primary Source gives you breaking and behind-the-scenes political news by John DiStaso, the most experienced political writer in the state and a recipient of a New Hampshire Press Association Lifetime Achievement Award. To sign up for WMUR's weekly New Hampshire Primary Source and political email newsletter, which will be delivered to your inbox on Thursday at 6 a.m., click here.>> Download the FREE WMUR appSTUDY IN CONTRASTS. Granted, there are 400 members of the House and only 24 state senators, but their different approaches to meeting amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 was on full display during Wednesday’s convening day sessions. Hours before the violence in Washington overwhelmed other news of the day, the Senate met remotely, with Senate President Chuck Morse and numerous staffers in Representatives Hall at the State House and the other senators connecting from their homes or offices. Except for the usual few cases in which someone forgot for a moment to unmute themselves, it went off without a hitch. They wrapped up their business in about 90 minutes. The House, with members “meeting” in their vehicles at a parking lot at the University of New Hampshire eventually got their business underway and finished in late afternoon, but it wasn’t easy. First, there was a traffic jam with only one access to the lot, followed by some technical glitches. Members of the new Democratic minority, who had pushed unsuccessfully for a remote meeting, took to social media to chide the majority’s decision to hold the drive-in session. They started about 90 minutes late, just after the Senate had ended its session. House Clerk Paul Smith, after gaveling the House to order prior to the formal election of Rep. Sherm Packard, R-Londonderry, as Speaker, told the members that if they had a technical issue, “Please put your hazards on and somebody will be on their way to you.” Eventually, however, thanks to the diligence and persistence of Smith and staffers, the session moved along at a slow but steady pace in the drive-in setting. The House was still in session when the violent siege on the U.S. Capitol began in Washington. It quickly suspended its rules on a vote of 236-35 and passed by voice vote a resolution condemning the violence. The House elected Packard, as expected, over Democratic nominee Rep. Renny Cushing, who is the minority leader. The secret ballot vote was 202-150, with four “scatter” and one write-in for Democratic former Speaker Steve Shurtleff. An emotional Packard, who is now in his 15th term in the House, said he would use the same gavel used by his father, Norman Packard, who was president of the state Senate from 1959 to 1961. COVID-related voting bill passes The Senate passed unanimously and sent to the House legislation (Senate Bill 2) that would temporarily allow for preprocessing of absentee ballots at elections held through July 1 – addressing upcoming town meetings. The bill essentially extends the allowance for absentee ballot preprocessing that worked successfully during the 2020 September primary and November general election. The bipartisan bill also allows for the postponement of annual town meetings in 2021 “where concerns exist during the COVID-19 health emergency.” The bill allows municipal officials to move the meetings back from the second Tuesday in March to the second Tuesday of April, May, June or July. Senate Democratic Leader Donna Soucy of Manchester called the bill “critical” as the pandemic continues to rage. “It worked well in the November election,” she said. “I hope that the colleagues in the House will see fit to pass it.” Soucy said city and town officials “need to know that the Legislature has provided an avenue for safe and timely voting.” “We will be sending it to the House immediately,” Senate President Chuck Morse of Salem said after the vote, “in the parking lot at UNH.” The House, meanwhile, debated numerous proposed rule changes. It rejected on a vote of 187-149 a proposed rule to clear the way for remote meetings in the coming weeks and months. The partisan vote sparked Democratic criticism, with Rep. Lucy Weber, D-Walpole, saying, “This vote shows that House Republicans have absolutely no interest in working to protect the safety and well-being of representatives, staff and Granite Staters in every corner of the state. Meeting in person is a dangerous and unnecessary risk.” The Republican House also rejected a proposed rule by Shurtleff to ban firearms from the House floor – should it meet in person. The partisan vote was 204-133 against Shurtleff’s proposed rule. “One week after the Governor cancelled his public inauguration because of concern over armed protesters, House Republicans voted to allow guns into the House chamber and public viewing gallery,” Shurtleff said in a statement after the vote. “If that is not the definition of irresponsibility, I don’t know what is.” The House also rejected a Democratic proposal to prohibit the consumption of alcohol or other illegal substances in the House chamber, which would include the site of an outdoor session. The vote was 180-145. The House rejected, 188-133, a Democratic proposed rule to make sexual harassment prevention training mandatory for all legislators and House staff. It rejected, 170-113, a Democratic proposal to increase the number of minority party members on House committees to bring them proportionately in line with the party breakdown in the full House. A proposal to introduce a bill to state that “hate speech, bullying and other forms of harassment are not appropriate conduct for elected officials” failed to get the necessary two-thirds super-majority to proceed. HOLDING OUT HOPE. Supporters of former conservative activist Gerald “Jerry” DeLemus are hopeful that in the next two weeks, before leaving office, President Donald Trump commutes the remaining 15 months on his prison sentence stemming from his involvement in a 2014 armed standoff between ranchers and government agents. Click here.RIGHT-TO-WORK PUSH. With Republicans now controlling the New Hampshire House and Senate – and of course the governor’s office in the person of Chris Sununu – a renewed push is on to pass right-to-work legislation into law. Click here.EARLY HIT ON CHRIS. Just a few days after he took office for his second term, U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas became one of 21 “vulnerable Democrats” targeted by a Republican super PAC. Click here.CONSERVATIVE ENDORSEMENTS. The conservative grassroots group 603 Alliance has endorsed NHGOP Chair Stephen Stepanek and Vice Chair Pamela Tucker for second terms in their respective posts. Click here.REMEMBER BRUNELLE? A decade ago, Republicans in the New Hampshire House tried to oust former Granite Stater Mike Brunelle from the chamber simply because he was executive director of the New Hampshire Democratic Party at the time. Click here.TOUGH WORDS. Longtime Tuftonboro Republican activist Bev Bruce is taking senior Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski of Windham to task for publicly toying with the idea of running for governor in 2022. And Lewandowski is hitting back. Click here.GOVERNMENT RELATIONS POST. Soon after leaving the New Hampshire House majority staff, Mike O’Brien has landed a post at a leading government relations firm. Click here.(Follow John DiStaso on Twitter: @jdistaso.)